Kanpai

Gaming.jp

I've been playing Ridge Racer 7 online every day since its release, and I don't plan to hang up the controller anytime soon. From where I'm playing -- Kyoto, via a 50Mb ADSL connection -- I've yet to see any lag or experience any connection problems. Ridge Racer 7 online, for me, is identical to the offline game. The only element which could enhance Ridge online would be a voice chat feature; instead, we have a limited lexicon of preset written phrases to bandy about, and we can modify them with smilies and other icons. If you want to talk with (or verbally abuse) other players, Xbox Live has the ace.

Actually, though, in Japan this missing feature doesn't make much difference to how the game would be played. Many Japanese are shy, reserved individuals (perhaps gamers more than most) and talking with strangers is seen as something of a major undertaking. Introductions must be made in formal, polite Japanese; only close friends and family members are spoken with informally. Yet it's when speaking informally that the Japanese are at their most relaxed. Catch 22. So, as you can imagine, in an online setting -- essentially, rooms full of strangers -- there isn't a great deal of banter.

I remember playing Dead or Alive 4 online when it was first released in Japan, and how I wasn't sure whether or not my headset was knackered. There was no conversation. It wasn't until the game was released in the West that I suddenly heard voices -- and, naturally, they were all speaking English and cussing with a passion.

Anyway, back to the game. I've noticed a few quirks in the PS3's online integration, if that isn't an oxymoron. For starters, some games are international and others aren't. RR7, although still dominated by Japanese players, has its fair share of Americans, Canadians, and players from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China. There are even a couple of Brits on there already (and one of them is yours truly, so if you see a Union Jack there's a 50-50 chance I'll be draped in it). Resistance, on the other hand, is territory-defined. Japanese residents play against each other, while Americans play on their own servers. There is no unified approach to online gaming with the PS3: It's each title for itself, and a lot depends on how developers choose to build online into their games.

Another quirk: You can live anywhere you like. Or at least, you can trick Sony into thinking that you live somewhere else. I set up my first PlayStation Network account with my Japanese contact information, all fair and mostly square. Good, I thought. So I downloaded the Mainichi Issho demo and spent some time with Toro the cat. Then I heard that there was a playable Motorstorm demo available, so I immediately checked the PlayStation Store, but nothing. Bad, I thought.

However, the solution is simply to set up a new user ID and register an account with an American address. In my case, a fake American address. And hey presto! From 22 Abacus Street, Towntown, Alaska, I can now access the US PlayStation Store and get my Motorstorm demo. And then I can switch to my main (Japanese) account and download the HD Casino Royale trailer that's there. Nice. Of course, if you want to play Mainichi or watch the Bond preview, you'll need to come up with a fake Japanese address. And that could be difficult. But give it a go, you never know. Either way, I'll see you in Ridge State.